There has been a problem with long delays for Indiana and other American veterans that waiting to receive their disability benefits. The average delay for receiving such benefits for such public employees now exceeds six-months.
These are veterans that have been at the front lines and facing cancer possibly brought on by Agent Orange exposure. Many such veterans are trying to prevent the draining of all of their financial assets. There are as many as 1.5 million veterans still waiting upon their benefits. And there will be more claims being made by veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Many are upset about the backlog due to the inherent responsibility to take care of those that have served in the armed forces. There is a great deal of bureaucratic loopholes that veterans are required to navigate through to receive the benefits they rightly deserve.
Public employees such as veterans are entitled to the same protections as private employees. This would include the right to receive benefits in a timely basis. Often delays come about for no other reason than paper work is missing. The burden of proof is upon the veteran to prove any disability being claimed was service connected. Here competent counsel in the area of public employment law can make certain that paperwork does not hold up a rightful claim.
One soldier has had as many as 33 radiation treatments for his cancer that was brought on because of service related activities. Only through assistance was this individual able to collect his benefits in approximately 8-months time.
Source: Dayton Daily News, “Veterans’ wait for benefits is lengthy,” by Mary McCarty, Jan. 8, 2012
